USS Grampus (1821)

Grampus depicted flying her National Ensigns upside down, a sign of distress
History
United States
Name:	USS Grampus
Builder:	Washington Navy Yard
Laid down:	1820
Launched:	August 1821
Fate:	Foundered, 15 March 1843
General characteristics
Type:	Schooner
Displacement:	171.5 long tons (174.3 t)
Length:	97 ft (30 m)
Beam:	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draft:	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
Propulsion:	Sail
Complement:	142 officers and enlisted
Armament:	2 × 9 pdr (4.1 kg) guns, 8 × 24 pdr (11 kg) carronades

USS Grampus was a schooner in the United States Navy. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the Grampus griseus, also known as Risso's Dolphin.

Grampus was built at the Washington Navy Yard under the supervision of naval constructor William Doughty, based on a design by Henry Eckford. Her 73 ft (22 m) keel was laid down in 1820. She was launched in early August 1821. The need to suppress piracy and to maintain ships to catch slavers led to the building of five such schooners, the largest of which was Grampus. This was the first building program undertaken by the Navy since the War of 1812.

Lieutenant Francis Gregory commanded Grampus on her first cruise as part of the West Indies Squadron, which took her to the Antilles in pursuit of pirates. In the company of Hornet, Enterprise, Spark, Porpoise, and Shark, Grampus engaged in convoying merchant vessels throughout 1821, the presence of the squadron having a marked effect on piratical activity among the islands.

On 16 August 1822, Grampus fought a brig flying Spanish colors, but which Lt. Gregory suspected was a pirate. When he called upon her commander to surrender, he was met with cannon and small arms fire. Grampus answered in turn, and reduced the bogus Spaniard to a floating wreck in 3½ minutes. The brig struck her colors and Lt. Gregory discovered that she was Palmyra, a Puerto Rico-based pirate carrying the papers of a privateer as a subterfuge.